


Artificer's Delight

by anonymouse_fiction



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Humor, Post-Canon, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 05:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6739888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymouse_fiction/pseuds/anonymouse_fiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Link’s pouch goes awry, it causes quite the uproar. Thank goodness the resident artificer is already used to Link’s nonsense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artificer's Delight

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to mysterystuckabbix for batting around headcanons with me... and convincing me this isn't a crazy/stupid idea. This fic was supposed to be a lighthearted joke at first, but it somehow turned into my headcanon background for Shad... which will play a part in a much longer fic I've already begun working on. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

~If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.~

 

“So… what happened here?” Ashei asked tentatively as she stepped around the various weapons, maps, and bottles strewn about the floor of the Resistance’s room.

“Don’t wanna talk about it.” Link muttered grumpily, arms crossed. Ashei cocked an eyebrow at him and moved to sit next to him at the table.

“Link, seriously. Seeing all your stuff scattered around is unnerving, yeah? Maybe you should put it back in that magic pouch of yours?” Ashei tried, only to get a glare from Link.

“Believe me, I would if I could. But I can’t put anything in this stupid thing now!” Link griped as he removed the satchel from its place at his waist and tossed it up onto the table.

            Ashei had not been expecting to see the satchel in its current state. The normally small, tidy brown pouch’s seams were ripped and frayed. What really caught her eye, though, was the fact that it was charred black. Cocking her head, she reached out to touch it, only for Link to stop her hand before she could.

“Zelda said not to let anyone but me touch it until the artificer gets here. Something about the magic being too strong and possibly sucking someone that’s _not_ me or a professional into an unknowable void?” Link finished, head cocked as he tried to remember her exact words. Ashei withdrew her hand immediately.

“Well Goddesses, Link! Why the Hell even bring the thing here if it’s that dangerous right now?!” Ashei nearly shouted, making Link wince at her harsh tone. Link shot her a glare.

“Because that’s what Zelda TOLD me to do! I said the same damned thing, y’know! But she said the artificer or whatever preferred to work here for some reason, so here I am!” Link said in exasperation. Ashei sighed and settled back into her seat.

“Alright, alright. I’ll let it go. But still, Link; what happened? That pouch normally holds a lot with no problem, yeah?” Ashei asked, glancing warily at the pouch.

“You’d think. To be honest, I’ve been having problems with it lately. I’ll go to summon my bow, and my clawshots will come out; weird stuff like that. Or in this case, I’ll go to summon a report on the soldier’s progress for Zelda and I’ll summon a bag full of live bombs instead…” Link sighed as he glanced down at the charred remains of the pouch. Ashei gulped.

“I’m gonna guess Zelda contained the blast?”

“Yeah. Apparently the whole bomb bag got lit when I pulled it out, and the contained blast destroyed the pouch. The guards in the room scattering was pretty funny, but still. I had to haul all this stuff from the castle to here! I just don’t get it!” Link grumbled in frustration. A familiar chuckle sounded behind he and Ashei, and both turned to see Shad picking his way through the myriad of items scattered across the floor.

“Well, it would seem Her Highness certainly wasn’t exaggerating!” Shad said, finally getting to the table and taking a seat on Link’s other side.

“Great, she’s already made it into another one of her ‘You won’t believe what Link managed to do this week’ stories.” Link said with a groan. Shad shook his head.

“No, the events were contained in the work order, old boy. Unless you’ve been telling people, the events are strictly confidential at this point.” Shad said calmly, putting a large drawstring bag Link had never seen him with before on the table.

“Work order? Then wouldn’t that make you the artificer?” Ashei asked curiously, glancing over to look at Shad.

“Yes, it indeed would. You… seem confused. Ashei, I could have sworn I told you about my side occupation before?” Shad replied, confused.

“Probably, but I might have tuned you out. I’ve got a bad habit of doing that when folks talk for too long.” Shad winced at Ashei’s honesty.

“Well, I’m certainly glad I’m not the only one that this happens to.” Shad said while smacking Link’s hand away from his bag.

“I say, old boy. Were you not taught to respect other’s belongings?” Shad said sharply, giving Link a pointed look. Link put his hands up defensively.

“Hey, it’s what I do. I don’t know what it is, I investigate. Force of habit.” Link finished with a nonchalant shrug. Shad sighed.

“I suppose that is a logical explanation, however, it doesn’t excuse the behavior.” Shad said as he opened the bag, revealing a red interior that looked very familiar to Link.

“Hey, isn’t that dodongo stomach leather?” Link asked, pointing to the bag’s interior. Shad glanced over to him and grinned.

“It is. You have an impeccable eye for detail, don’t you? I’m surprised you didn’t ask about the exterior, to be honest.” Shad muttered as he produced a pair of fitted black leather gloves from the bag, both of which had a clear gem set in their back.

“It kinda looks like a Zora, to be honest.” Ashei chimed in, noting the gray, shimmery color.

“It’s Zora scales. Therefore, this bag is waterproof, fireproof, and explosion-resistant. It was actually one of my first works.” Shad said proudly as he pulled a variety of tools, threads, leathers, and clasps from the bag as well. Link let out a sliding whistle.

“Now THAT is impressive. But I thought you were a scientist, not an artificer?” Link asked. Shad glanced over to him before looking back down, choosing to concentrate more on the task at hand.

“Well, I was supposed to be an artificer, to be honest. My parents felt it best suited my abilities, and I happened to take right to it. My mother was one of the best. She taught me everything I know.” Shad replied, not looking up from the pouch.

            He looked at the inside of the old pouch, making a displeased tsk as he noticed how bad the condition was. He picked up a pair of cutters and cut apart the old pouch. The magic that Zelda had warned them about was leaking out of the pouch and into the gems on Shad’s gloves, seemingly disappearing. He laid out the pieces of the old pouch onto a new piece of leather and traced around them, cutting them out shortly after.

 “So is this stuff a family trade or something, then?” Link asked, watching him mark where the clasp would go and where the bag was to be sewn together on the new pieces. Shad chuckled.

“I suppose you could say that. My mother came from a long line of artificers, most of which specialized in forging weapons and creating armor or exploration equipment.” Shad answered as he began punching fine holes into the leather along the guide marks. Link perked up at that.

“Then… you think you could tell me why my pouch decided to go haywire all of a sudden?” Link asked, pointing to the now-disassembled pile of charred leather.

“Judging from the state of the inside, which is quite crazed and worn, I would simply say wear and age. Link, just how long have you had that pouch?” Shad asked as he lined up each of the leather pieces to ensure they matched properly.

“Well, I’ve only had it for about eight months or so now. I do know that most all my equipment came from the past Hero, though.” Shad and Ashei both looked over at him incredulously.

“You’re kidding!” Ashei cried in disbelief, looking Link’s outfit over more closely.

“Uh, no? Faron stuck me in this stuff and said so himself, so I’m gonna take his word for it.” Link said, trying not to laugh as Ashei looked at him in amazement.

“Well, old boy, it’s no wonder this pouch finally burst! After all those years of use, then centuries of disuse and sudden use again, this pouch has lasted far longer than I would have expected. I suppose that attests to fine craftsmanship, but even that can’t contain magic of this magnitude for eternity.” Shad trailed off, glancing over to the remains of the original pouch before setting back to work on re-creating it.

“So, that’s what the gems do then? Hold old magic?” Ashei asked, pointing to the gems on the backs of Shad’s gloves.

“Hold old magic to redistribute, imbue weapons with certain elemental attributes, strengthen spells I can cast; they really do a myriad of things, Ashei.” Shad replied, satisfied with how the pieces lined up.

“Whoa, hold on; you can cast spells too?!” Link asked, taken aback. Shad chuckled.

“Yes. It’s one of the perks of the Royal Archives; you can use the tomes there to teach yourself how to utilize magic and cast spells. This is especially useful for research, as it allows you to backtrack across spells to find their roots. Granted, if you aren’t a born magic user, like Her Highness, you have to have a physical item that is imbued with-”

“Shad! Slow down, buddy! I know you get excited when folks listen to you, but remember that I know nothin’ about magic.” Link interjected, holding his hands up in a ‘Whoa, stop!’ manner. Shad paused and smiled apologetically.

“Right, my apologies old boy. Simply put, I can imbue small crystals with the type of magic I wish to use. That’s actually how the Legendary Hero was able to use magic… if the archives are correct, of course.” Shad replied. Link cocked his head thoughtfully before smirking.

“Ok, so those crystals on your gloves let you cast magic to fix things then?” Link asked. Shad rolled his eyes.

“No, cheeky. All they do is store magic or amplify it. They unfortunately can’t salvage things that are damaged. If they could, I assure you I would make a killing as an artificer.” Shad said as he cut the holes for the clasp. Ashei cocked her head.

“About that… you said you took right to it, yeah? So why take up research?” Ashei asked. Shad glanced over to her.

“I may have taken to the work of an artificer well, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it. I didn’t find… satisfaction in my work. It felt purely mechanical.” Shad replied, picking up the pliers to clamp the clasp into place. As he did so, Ashei nodded in understanding.

“However, when I was able to assist in my father’s research, I felt a spark of intrigue. I had to truly search for answers and work to understand the results, and successfully doing so gave me a sense of fulfillment.” Shad finished, reaching for the needle and thread to stitch the new pouch together.

“Well that explains that! I’m kinda glad you didn’t become an artificer full-time. Then you wouldn’t have joined the Resistance, right?” Link asked, watching Shad stitch the pouch together.

“That is true. I would more than likely have taken over my mother’s shop at her behest. However, when I finished my training, I told her that I would rather assist her and father both than take over the shop wholly.” Shad said, his voice becoming quiet. Link cocked his head worriedly, noticing Shad’s shift in mood.

 “She… didn’t take well to this, and she cut all ties with both of us. We never heard from her again…” Shad finished, pausing in his work. Ashei didn’t miss the upset undertone to his words, and Link felt his blood start to boil.

“Now why would she do that?!” Link asked angrily, only for Ashei to smack him in the back of the head. Link yelped, and Shad gave her a warning look.

“I appreciate your concern, Ashei. However, it is a fair question that doesn’t require physical punishment for being asked.” Shad said evenly. Ashei sighed.

“Alright, alright I get it, yeah? But still, Shad. He has to learn that there are times and places to be nosey and other times to mind your own business.” Ashei replied, giving Link a pointed look.

“But you are also my friends, yes? You have a right to know. Link, my mother was a… fickle woman. Gifted? Oh gracious, yes. Forgiving? Not so much, I’m afraid. Mother and father were very prone to arguments, but father loved her with all his heart.” Shad answered, voice beginning to tremble.

“He passed on not long after my mother left us. His heartbreak caused him cast himself into his work, and I fear that he literally lost himself in it on an expedition he never returned from. I took on his research to honor his memory and to hopefully find the answers that he sought.” Shad finished, voice breaking as he tried to keep his tone even.

            No one questioned him as he put down the pouch and took a deep breath, looking upward to keep the tears in his eyes from spilling. After a few minutes, he looked back down, feeling Link put a hand on his shoulder to offer him some comfort. Shad looked over to him gratefully, only to wince and jolt forward when Ashei smacked his back. Shad looked over to her with a grin, knowing it was simply her way of showing affection.

“I do apologize, you two. It’s still a sensitive subject, but I do feel strangely better having shared that.” Shad said quietly, a small blush of embarrassment dusting his cheeks.

“It’s alright Shad. That’s what friends are for, yeah?” Ashei replied, giving Shad a surprisingly gentle smile.

“Yeah! And you verified all his research, so I’d call that a success.” Link finished with a nod. Shad looked between the two of them and gave them both a genuine smile.

“Thank you… both of you. That means more to me that I think you might realize. But! Enough of this emotional nonsense, I have a job to finish!” Shad said with conviction, picking the pouch back up.

Ashei and Link could tell that his mood was back to normal, and both decided to let him work in peace.

\-----

“… And that’s my report for the week, Queen Zelda.” Link finished, standing at attention before Zelda in her throne room. Zelda nodded.

“Thank you, Link. I’m glad to know that our troops are finally making progress with their new training regime. And the written version?” Zelda asked, holding out her hand expectantly. Link rolled his eyes.

“Do you really need this thing every week?” Link asked as he approached her, hand reaching back to his new pouch to summon it.

            The guards in the room all yelped as he did this, scrambling out of the room in a panic. Zelda and Link watched this occur before glancing to each other and laughing. Link summoned the report and handed it over to Zelda, who was wiping a mirthful tear from her eye.

“I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard all week!” Zelda said happily, taking the report. Link chuckled.

“Yeah. I can’t blame them after what happened last week, though. I’m just glad Shad finally got this pouch back to me! Telma was getting real testy about keeping my stuff in the back room.” Link commented while crossing his arms.

“Well, it does take time to reintroduce magic of that strength to an object. Think of it as steeping tea: If you don’t steep it long enough, then the tea is weak. If you steep it too long, the tea is too strong. And in both cases, the end result isn’t pleasant.” Zelda remarked, face scrunching up a bit in disgust at the thought. Link rolled his eyes.

“Man, what is it with you noble types and your tea?” Link asked playfully as he held out a hand to help Zelda up. Zelda scoffed as she accepted his hand.

“What is it with you country types and your naps?” She retorted teasingly, making Link chuckle.

“Okay, fair enough. But y’know? Shad told me about how he came to do his research and where he learned his craft… but I never did get to ask exactly _why_ Shad does the artificer stuff…” Link said as he and Zelda left the throne room. Zelda glanced over to him.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you? He uses the money he receives for his services to fund his research and livelihood.” Zelda said, making Link stop in confusion.

“Hold on, so the research doesn’t pay? Like, at all?” Link asked as Zelda turned to face him.

“Monetarily? Not in the slightest. Research is funded based on its deemed importance, as much as it pains me to say. Rediscovering a civilization considered a myth doesn’t have a very high importance, so his work received little to no funding at all. Shad’s father was a butler for the Royal Family to fund his research, if I do recall. And for Shad to continue his research, he had to find a side occupation as well. He just so happens to be a skilled artificer, so I hired him. In exchange for his services, he receives a commission and has unlimited access to the Royal Archives.” Zelda said, waiting for Link to process all that.

“Then… wait, research and living in Castle Town is supposed to be really expensive, especially when you add them together. Just how much does he make as an artificer?!” Link asked as he caught back up to Zelda. Zelda chuckled.

“Do you really want to know?” Zelda asked with a conspiratory smirk. Link quirked an eyebrow up in interest.

“Okay, I’ll bite. How much?” Link asked.

            Zelda looked to their left and right, with Link following her gaze in confusion. She beckoned him to lean over to her, and he did so. Bringing her hand up to cover her mouth, she whispered to Link just how much one simple repair could run.

“DIN’S FIRE! THAT MUCH?!” Link shouted in absolute astonishment. Zelda laughed.

“His skills are incredibly rare, Link. He actually charges much less than traveling artificers do. You’d probably faint if I told you how much it cost me to commission your new blade, which should be done soon, by the way…” Zelda said with a sly smirk. Link gulped.

“After hearing how much a simple job cost, I don’t wanna know…” Link muttered. Zelda laughed, and they continued on their respective ways.

‘I’ve gotta remember to thank him again later…’ Link thought as he made his way to Telma’s, ready to spend some time with his friends after a long day of work.

**Author's Note:**

> It's a shame it costs so much to live in Castle Town, otherwise Shad would be rolling in dough.


End file.
